Happy belated birthday to the United States Marine Corps!
Cough.
I’m gonna go off a wee bit…okay?
Cool!
I have had enough of conservative pundits and politicians sporting American Flag jewelry and spewing ig’nant as hell rhetoric about [insert "other" determined to rile up the base].
Enough!
I am the grand daughter, daughter, niece and cousin of veterans. My grandfather, bless his soul, served during World War II...standing up to protect this nation even though this nation wouldn’t stand up to protect him when he had the audacity to travel while black and in uniform through the segregated south.
From the very beginning…the damned Revolutionary War, for Christ’s sake...people of color, immigrants and non-citizens, women and gays and lesbians and so forth have fought on behalf of the United States of America. Shit, there wouldn’t be a United States of America is it weren’t for the assistance of France…and French soldiers and military know how.
And to this day there are non-citizen soldiers who serve honorably…soldiers who are immigrants who deserve our respect not our skepticism and hatred.
Latinos, both citizens and non-citizens, serve and have served.
Black people serve and have served.
Native Americans serve and have served.
Women serve and have served (a tip of the Afro to my cousin…go on, girl!)
Gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and transgender people serve and have served.
Muslims…Pagans…Jews…Atheists…serve and have served.
So let me tell it plain so fools can’t say they weren’t evah told.
Lou Dobbs - you cannot honor the American Veteran and preach hatred and fear of immigrants.
They are often one and the same.
Rush Limbaugh – you cannot honor the American Veteran and preach hatred and fear of people of color in general and black men in particular.
They sure as shit are often one and the same.
Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, the Cheney Women, the staff of FOX television/radio and the rest of you assholes who know who you are – you cannot and you DO NOT honor the American Veteran or soldiers when you campaign against LGBT people, mock the contributions of women, question the equality of and work to erode the rights of women, question the equality of work to erode the rights of LGBT citizens and generally, but with freakish dedication, contribute to a climate of hate and fear toward Muslims.
They are, more often than you allow your tiny little brains to think, one and the same.
Because this is America, the “other” you hate has, is and will continue to fight for the right of all Americans to say and do what those who spew hate sadly say and do.
But if you want to get your hate on you really ought to take those fucking flag pins off and pull the bullshit video segment celebrating America’s heroes off the air.
Because when you hate on the “other”…
…you are, more often than you think, hating on America’s heroes.
No if, ands or buts about it.
Happy Veterans Day and special cyber hugs to all members of the flock of bitchitude stationed at Ft. Hood …blessed be.
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19 comments:
Hoorah! As a proud female veteran of the United States Marine Corps who has children with a black gay Marine, I totally agree with you. The sacrifice and honor of armed service is made by all sorts of people, not just radical conservatives hell-bent on spewing hatred and discrimination.
..and the children all said: "AMEN"
My grandfather and father salute you as well from afar.
Thank you for this wonderful post Shark Fu.
As a proud Canadian-American, I honor Veterans’ Day (aka Armistice Day or Poppy Day to the North), although it is becoming a challenge to do so. Used to be the various Auxiliaries of the American Legion veterans' group sold paper poppies, in remembrance of those who have fallen in foreign wars. The poppies were started as a fundraiser because it gave wounded soldiers something to do as they lay in bed healing.
There was a lady in front of the Walgreens when I was running errands over lunch. There used to be lots of them - I remember going shopping with my grandmother when I was very young and it seemed every street corner had an elderly woman with her paper poppies and her collection can, raising funds to help the Veterans' hospitals.
I think of my Uncle Don, who fought and died in World War I and is buried in France; my Grandfather, who was gassed and spent months recuperating; all the others who went to fight in the War to End All Wars.
I think of young, young men in the mud and the filth and the fear of the trenches, firing blindly at other young, young men who now lie quiet beneath fields and trenches, as well as graveyards.
I think of doctors and nurses struggling to heal the broken and bleeding. Without antibiotics. Without suture thread. Without anesthesia or antiseptic beyond the raw alcohol that was poured half into the wound and half into the solider. Without MRIs, or Xrays, or anything but a guess at whether the bleeding went on inside as well as out.
I think of the generations of War Dead since.
I think of old women, fewer every year until they are almost vanished now, standing at the doors of grocery stores and coffee shops with their paper poppies of remembrance and their small collection cans.
I think it doesn’t matter what we think about this War, or the Great War, or the Civil War that brought about Memorial Day in the first place – there should be more paper poppies tucked in button holes and tied around purse straps.
I bought out her stock, and handed them around my department with a copy of this poem.
IN FLANDERS FIELDS
By: Lt. Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
My great great grandfather arrived in the US from Norway in 1861. The first thing he did was enlist in the Union Army and fight in the Civil War.
Our veterans come from all walks of life, and they fight for ALL Americans. Mr Dobbs can kiss my lily white butt.
That was profound. I don't know what else to say.
AMEN!!!
As the granddaughter of a card-carrying member of the Communist Party, who nonetheless fought for America in WWII, and who was subsequently disenfranchised, persecuted, and driven to suicide by this country's radical right, I applaud your telling it like it is. We need more courageous voices like yours.
My thoughts go out to all those who fight for this country, and in particular to those who have received nothing but hatred in return.
Thank you.
Wow! Your anger is the exact same as the hatred you accuse the right of spewing. I'm sure you will have some "justifiable" reason why you should be allowed to vomit your vile hatred (ie. oppression, abuse, natural disaster)and the rest of us should just sit back and take it. I'm guessing, as a conservative I owe you something, right? I've personally contributed to the bitter, bile filled person you have become. If you want to honor Vetrans, all veterans, then do it in an admirable way, but don't subject the rest of us to listening to your idiotic ranting.
Anonymous...
You aren't on parole and reading this blog isn't a condition of your release.
You don't owe me a damn thing.
Vets, on the other hand, deserve your respect.
All of them, you ig'nant asshole...not just the ones you've decided are worthy.
Now get thee gone from this place of thinking!
Lawd, now I'm going to have to light a candle and chant...
Did I say anything that made you believe I wouldn't honor vets? My family has a strong tradition of men and women serving this country in the armed forces. I'm very proud and thankful for the sacrifice of ALL the brave individuals who sacrificed for my freedom. Although I may not agree with their personal choices, I do owe them a debt of gratitude.
Your writing speaks to the point that you do exactly what you accuse conservatives of doing. You assume that because I'm a conservative I lack respect for those vets who are not the white male model. Are you not making assumptions about me? Of course you are, but that's ok, right? I think not...
Now, let's talk about being "ig'nant." As an educated woman, I do not recognize that word, or the word "Lawd" for that matter. I'm fairly sure it's not grammatically correct.
Well, I sure hope it didn't take a college degree for you to figure out that I don't worship at the Shrine of English Grammar.
Sigh.
I'll repeat using words that have been pre-approved by the Society of Boring Ass Language...
You are not on parole, reading this blog is not a condition of your release and I do not write posts that speak directly to you in your anonymous hovel situated in the land where language is limited and conservatives are forever being persecuted by heathen liberals.
Unless...you really ARE on parole and reading this blog actually is a condition of your release, in which case you're shit out of luck.
Toodles.
well said.
I am days late to this party but as the granddaughter of a Native American WWII vet, I have to say this is the best Veteran's Day post I have read this year.
Thank you.
I'm a lesbian Navy veteran.
I'm the granddaughter of Navy veterans, one of whom had just fled the hell of Mussolini's regime and signed up to fight for his new country within 24 hours of getting off the boat.
I'm the sister of two biracial active duty soldiers (HOOAH!).
I'm the "silent partner" of a lesbian currently serving under the crushing, painful weight of "Don't Ask Don't Tell." Our military family is not recognized or protected.
Shouting out a big fervent AMEN!!
Thank you.
(**is laughing like a hyena at the word verification of "fracoff." Git your Battlestar on!**)
Great Post!
Sex, race, sexual orientation never matters in real combat - you'll not check if it's Latino/Woman/etc.. who is carrying you, wounded, out of the fire.
Wow there was a lot of hatered in this piece...and I thought liberals were tolerant..
Anonymous...
#1 - there's a difference between anger and hate.
#2 - I suspect you don't know any "liberals"..c'mon, admit it...it's not like I know who you are (wink)!
#3 - I reject the school of tolerance. Gosh, does that mean I have to hand over my Liberal card?!?
Anyhoo, thanks for sorta-playing.
Toodles!
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